Now that Election Day is behind us; some people are happy with the results and some are not. While others are still awaiting the results of narrow victories and anticipating recounts in others. As we slowly try to absorb the outcome, consequences, and possible opportunities for the next few years.

At first glance, the obvious. Americans are divided. The whys and hows can be left to those more knowledgeable about elections than I am. 

With Republican Donald Trump’s reelection as President, many people in the renewable energy industry as a whole have questions about the future. Much could change under the new administration, rescinding funding for parts of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), cuts to other incentives, changes to trade policy and greater costs for imported parts, a shift to a pro-fossil fuel agenda, and the possible roll-back of rules — all creating overall uncertainty. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, however, had the support of both parties and may prevail. The ramifications might not be known immediately, but we will continue doing what we can to help the industry navigate whatever changes may come. 

President Trump’s administration, from the selection of the cabinet secretaries to many other roles in government, will have an easier time getting confirmations approved as the U.S. Senate is also back in Republican control. The outcome of the U.S. House is yet undetermined.

Wisconsin’s Democratic U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin was re-elected, continuing her support of clean energy. Wisconsin congressional delegates retained the same party affiliations with one new representative in the 8th Congressional District, Tony Wied replaced Mike Gallagher who resigned earlier. 

At the State Capitol

Republicans retained their majority in the State Senate and State Assembly, but their margins have shrunk.

The Senate is now 18-15. Out of the 16 contested districts, Democrats flipped 4 seats held by Republicans, retained the vacant Democratic seat in the Milwaukee area, and protected the district in La Crosse held by Brad Pfaff. This means the State Senate no longer has the ability to override a governor’s veto by supermajority. It also means that the 2026 election will be hotly contested.

The losses:

Sen. Duey Stroebel, past author of the Community Solar legislation and opponent of ROFR (Right of First Refusal bill that utilities desperately wanted to pass to ensure more say in transmission projects). The race is noteworthy because of the staggering amount of political dollars spent as well as the apparent result of redistricting. For the coalition working on the Community Solar legislation, the shift is to find another Senate lead process and reintroduce the bill, with maybe a slightly different process.

Sen. Rob Cowles – no longer in the legislature because of his retirement after 42 years. He was a champion for all things renewable, and a thorn to some, because he questioned, challenged, and offered change to the usual. His genuine interest in the issues will be missed. We are thankful for their support of our issues.

The gains: 

In the 30th Senate District, newly elected Jamie Wall brings a wealth of local government experience. As a candidate, Jamie participated in the RENEW Wisconsin Energy Fund event in the Green Bay area. There are 3 other new senators to work with.

In the State Assembly

The margins are likely to be 54-45, with Republicans ceding 10 seats. 

One of the losses, significant to the Community Solar legislation, is Rep. Binsfeld who cosponsored the bill. But potential pluses are the two dozen new state representatives with fresh ideas and experience that could lead to greater support for our issues.

The narrower majority could also mean different committee make-up, in terms of the number of Republicans and Democrats assigned to committees, and a greater need for bipartisanship on issues. For the energy committee in particular, it also means a lot of new people as many committee members retired.

More to come as we prepare for the next legislative session and welcome the newly elected in the public policy arena.

Voters turned out at levels not seen in 60 years for this year’s primary to make their voices heard on several important statewide issues! News sources report that the turnout was over 25 percent with numbers in Dane County and the City of Madison, reaching nearly 30 percent. According to the Waukesha Freeman, the WOW counties had a 40 percent turnout.

Referendum Questions

In past blogs, I covered the proposed changes to the Wisconsin Constitution, shifting how federal dollars are spent in the state and giving the legislature more control. The results show almost 60% of the voters statewide rejected the amendments. As a result, the Governor will continue to have the authority to act on behalf of the state when it comes to emergency funding and other unallocated federal dollars.

This is a significant victory for those who opposed the changes, such as the Wisconsin Conservation Voters, and the Democratic legislators, who argued that the legislature would be unpredictable and slow to respond during a crisis, delaying critical funding.

Republican legislators and groups supporting the amendments such as the Badger Institute and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, claimed the changes were necessary to provide checks and balances to the Governor’s power.

Referendums historically passed 2/3 of the time. The rejection this time shows the power of the voters and is indicative of the tremendous effort put forward by the groups fighting them.

Primaries Under New Maps

As voters navigated the new districts, the results showed some incumbent losses — inevitable when two legislators were drawn into one district. We also saw many new faces claim victories for the numerous open seats created by the new maps.

Though we don’t yet know the full impact of the new maps. Results so far have been mostly positive for incumbent candidates.

State Senate

In the Milwaukee area, two state representatives vied for the open seat of Senate District 4, where Dora Drake (D-Milwaukee) prevailed over Lakeshia Myers. Drake will face no opposition in November, securing the seat for her.

In the Madison area, in the open seat for Senate District 16 vacated by Melissa Agard who is running for Dane County Executive, another Melissa beat out two other state representatives to win the primary. Melissa Ratcliff (D – Cottage Grove) won over Reps. Baldeh and J. Anderson without an opponent in November, she has secured the senate seat.

State Assembly

The Energy & Utilities Committee Chairman, Rep. Dave Steffen (R- Green Bay) survived a primary challenge. While another nearby incumbent, Republican Peter Schmidt (R-Shawano) lost to Rep. Elijah Behnke from Oconto in a new district.

Congressional Primary Wins

In the 3rd Congressional District, Rebecca Cook came out on top in the three-way Democratic primary. Cook will face Republican incumbent Derrick Van Orden in November.

In the 8th Congressional District, Tony Wied won his own three-way primary on the Republican ticket. He will face Democrat Kristin Lyerly in November.

The remainder of the candidates running in their respective congressional districts were not primaried.

The general election is slated for Tuesday, November 5, 2024. With plenty of time to get to know all the candidates and make your vote count.

Wisconsin’s primary election is an opportunity to have your voice heard on which local and national candidates you think best align with your view. This year voters also have a say in how the state decides to spend federal dollars. The primary election is on August 13, 2024, giving voters a few more weeks to get acquainted with the issues on the ballot.

The decision on how the state spends federal dollars is impacted by two, potentially confusing referendum questions on the back side of the ballot:

Question 1 – In plain language, this refers to who has the power over how federal money is spent.

A “yes” vote means the legislature would decide how federal dollars are spent.

A “no” vote means the legislature would share the power with the governor.

Question 2 – This refers to the Governor’s authority to act on behalf of the state.

A “yes” vote means the governor would be prohibited from spending federal dollars without legislative approval.

A “no” vote would allow the governor to continue spending federal money on behalf of Wisconsinites.

Much of the federal funding and state revenue that is spent in Wisconsin is allocated by the legislature and the Governor during the state budget process. Both parties try to get some form of compromise.

Funding from the federal government is often designated for a particular purpose, like road construction or broadband installations, and can only be used for those purposes.

Changes to the constitution made by these referendum amendments would apply to the Wisconsin Governor regardless of party affiliation and impact the Wisconsin legislature, regardless of which party is in the majority. However, different parties have different priorities, and finding agreement among the parties is difficult.

As an example, states have benefited from federal assistance during extensive emergencies, extreme weather conditions, natural disasters, and other situations where immediate financial assistance was critical. In more recent years, the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocated money to the states to implement Wisconsin’s transition to clean energy. Changing the process for how these funds are allocated could slow down the process of dispersing them.

In other words, anytime money comes to the state without strings attached on how it should be spent, it would be decided by the governor if the referendums are not approved OR it would have to be approved by the legislature if the referendums are approved.

Your vote determines the path forward for the state.